With 55 districts in Uttar Pradesh hit by untimely rains and hailstorm, chief minister Akhilesh Yadav has declared a calamity and has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking Rs 1,000 crores to immediately provide relief to farmers.

With 55 districts in Uttar Pradesh hit by untimely rains and hailstorm, chief minister Akhilesh Yadav has declared a calamity and has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking Rs 1,000 crores to immediately provide relief to farmers.

The chief minister reviewed the prevailing situation yesterday and had said that a financial assistance of Rs 5 lakh from the chief minister's fund will be provided to farmers who faced an unnatural death, an official spokesman said.

Taking into account the gravity of the situation, Yadav has cancelled the leave of all divisional commissioners, district magistrates and others involved in relief works and has directed them to conduct the work in a prompt and transparent manner, he added.

According to an official statement issued yesterday, as per the earlier norm of assessing losses on the basis of 50% loss to crop, 44 districts of the state were affected, and with the new norm of 33%, 11 more districts are affected.